Marilyn M. Helms

Performance measurement for green supply chain management

Purpose – To introduce and provide an overview of the various issues related to environmental (green) supply chain management performance measurement.Design/methodology/approach – The work relies on experiences, case studies and other literature related to performance measurement in environmental supply chains. It seeks to integrate works in supply chain management, environmental management, and performance management into one framework. A systems framework forms the discussion outline with a focus on controls/pressures, inputs, tools, and outputs as major categories for evaluation and review.Findings – Provides an integrative framework for study, design and evaluation of green supply chain management performance tools. The findings also identify a number of issues that need to still be addressed.Research limitations/implications – We have only one design of the issues in which numerous categorizations could be provided. There is limited research in this area and new and current models/developments can pr...

Exploring SWOT analysis – where are we now?

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the strategic management tool, Strengths‐Weaknesses‐Opportunities‐Threats or SWOT analysis, and to assess how the methodology has been used as well as changes to the methodology. The findings both for and against SWOT analysis should lead to a balanced view of the technique as well as yield ideas for needed theory building.Design/methodology/approach – Using the ABInform Global® database, academic peer‐reviewed articles were compiled indicating SWOT as one of the articles key index and search words.Findings – The use of SWOT analysis continues to permeate the academic peer‐reviewed literature. Research supports SWOT analysis as a tool for planning purposes. Over the past decade, SWOT research has focused on analyzing organizations for recommended strategic actions. As a methodology for strategic positioning, SWOT analysis has been extended beyond companies to countries and industries and is used in virtually every published business case positi...

The Ultimate Glass Ceiling Revisited: The Presence of Women on Corporate Boards

Has the diversity of corporate boards of directors improved? Should it? What role does diversity play in reducing corporate wrongdoing? Will diversity result in a more focused board of directors or more board autonomy? Examining the state of Tennessee as a case study, the authors collected data on the board composition of publicly traded corporations and compared those data to an original study conducted in 1995. Data indicate only a modest improvement in board diversity. This article discusses reasons for the scarcity of women on boards and concludes that, to enhance strategic decisions, board membership should reflect the corporations consumer population. Thus, women are a critical but overlooked resource. Areas for future research are also considered.

Linking strategic practices and organizational performance to Porter's generic strategies

Purpose – While Porters generic strategies are a widely accepted typology of strategic options for businesses, prior studies have not linked specific strategic practices with each generic strategy and explored the associations between the practices and overall organizational performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose and test the following two hypotheses: specific strategic practices (or tactics) can be identified which are associated with each generic Porter strategy; and there are specific strategic practices which are more strongly associated with higher levels of organizational performance within each generic strategy.Design/methodology/approach – To test these hypotheses, a questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 226 working adults. A factor analysis and regression analyses were used to analyze the data.Findings – Findings include a list of critical strategic practices significantly associated with organizational performance for each of Porters generic strategies.Resea...

Student Perceptions of Hybrid Courses: Measuring and Interpreting Quality.

One popular teaching approach is a hybrid format balancing traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with online components. The authors used strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats methodology to examine if hybrid formats meet student expectations and the M. T. Miller and D. E. Husmann (1996) classification system to identify elements affecting the perception of quality. Results indicated that hybrid classes continued to exhibit the same weaknesses of the online format, and the addition of face-to-face interaction did not minimize weaknesses. The authors present a rationale for the variability of student responses, the same element as a strength and weakness. The authors discuss (a) opportunities for and threats to academic institutions and (b) areas for future research.

Technologies in support of mass customization strategy: Exploring the linkages between e-commerce and knowledge management

Abstract This paper explores two major interdisciplinary techniques facilitating mass customization strategies—e-commerce and knowledge management. The linkages between the two serve to validate the strategic shift toward mass customization. Internet-enabled e-commerce provides capabilities for firms to reach global buyers and suppliers and is increasingly recognized as a way to support the gathering of knowledge, specifically customer preferences. Knowledge management provides frameworks needed to manage intellectual capital as a valuable organizational resource for supporting customized preferences. Knowledge management makes mass customization a more viable strategy for manufacturers as they work to meet changing customer needs and desires. This article posits the linkage between e-commerce and knowledge management can support firms as they gather customer preferences and evaluate the data to advance mass customization. A profile for firms to assess their readiness for mass customization, specifically considering available knowledge management and e-commerce linkages, is provided along with areas for future research.

Small and Mid-Sized Businesses and Internet Use: Unrealized Potential?

The findings of a study by Auger and Gallaugher (1997), in addition to suppositions and anecdotal evidence provided in a number of articles, suggest that there may be key areas of difference as well as similarities in Internet usage patterns among small and mid‐sized businesses. Since large businesses are both potential customers of and suppliers to small to mid‐sized businesses, it is important to understand their Internet usage patterns as well. The study was designed as a preliminary examination contrasting such usage among large and small and mid‐sized owner‐operated firms. Study findings suggest mid‐sized businesses may be at a competitive disadvantage in their current operational use of the Internet. Small businesses in the study were more likely than mid‐sized or large firms to have a home page and to reveal computer/technology programs as potential Internet services needed to improve current operations. Future research must continue to examine the role the Internet can play in allowing small and mid‐sized businesses to be more competitive in today’s technology based global environment.

Aligning information technology and business strategy with a dynamic capabilities perspective: A longitudinal study of a Taiwanese Semiconductor Company

Strategic alignment involves the development and reconfiguration of information technology (IT) to support business strategies. This paper applies the dynamic capabilities perspective to analyze the strategic information system alignment process. The paper further argues the approach is constructive in understanding and overcoming difficulties in achieving and sustaining alignment. From a longitudinal case study of a semiconductor company in Taiwan, the results show an unaligned strategic information system (with an implemented IT strategy that varies from the intended IT strategy) impedes the development of IT. Path dependence, or the implications of prior IT decisions, is another barrier for alignment. A broader view of intended alignment, focusing on IT combined with clear business vision, can be beneficial for adding future IT resources. In addition, dynamic capabilities, which are critical for the creation and strength of IT resources, positively influence the alignment process and its future implementation success.

Competitive strategies and business performance: evidence from the adhesives and sealants industry

Synthesizes the contributions of a number of scholars on competitive strategies. Discusses several imperfections in the literature. Submits three propositions for empirical testing in a fragmented industry ‐ the adhesives and sealants industry. The results of the investigation suggest that business units which compete with the low cost strategy and differentiation strategy have higher ROIs than enterprises which compete with low costs only or differentiation only. As a group, however, the high profit firms are not significantly larger in size than the groups of low profit companies studied. Thus, what is elaborated is that competing with both strategies may involve benefits that are not based on advantages of larger market shares and scale economies.

Total Productive Maintenance and Its Link to Total Quality Management

This article addresses the question of why total quality management (TQM) and total productive maintenance (TPM) are valuable strategies for American businesses today. While each process is beneficial on its own, the synergy created by simultaneously doing both is incredibly powerful.